atha.raum 1.0 - 6.0 | 2024 | video installation/ documentation | Hp23 Linz, Austria

The atha.raum IS a series of site-specific, immersive, participatory, guided experiences that merge contemplative practices drawn from the Arts, Neuroscience, Yoga and diverse cultural traditions. A project by Mihaela Kavdanska/ Mika, co-created in collaboration with invited artists and the participants. 

The atha.raum is NOT:

• A yoga class.
• An art performance.
• An art installation.
• Art therapy.
• Coaching.
• A conventional performer-audience structure—here, everyone is an integral part of the experience, whether through active engagement or passive participation.
• Special, complex, or complicated.
• Mystical—though it might feel a little magical at times.
• Staged or intentionally performative, even if it might appear that way.
• Result-oriented; it’s all about the process.
• Focused on making statements or putting on a show—it’s about discovery, surprises, and uncovering the unknown.
• About introspection—it’s about cultivating open attention.
• Meant solely for relaxation or restoration, though it fosters a sense of safety and care.
• Dedicated exclusive to artists, yogis, or experienced professionals—it welcomes anyone curious to step outside their usual ways of being and doing.

• Something to be explained—it’s something to be experienced.

   

The atha.raum guided experiences take place at different venues and open spaces for reflection in which presence can be deepened, and creative expression can unfold free from expectations, in unusual ways. 

Invited artists and/or Yogis co-create the atha.raum Sessions with Mihaela Kavdanska, contributing through their sound art and artistic research. Following thematic inputs for each focus area, the audience is guided through breathing and meditation techniques into a parasympathetic “rest-and-digest” state, and gradually invited to explore the action of leaving sound or visual traces in space, or reenact voice, movement and performance practices in a process-oriented way. 

Focusing on breath and bodily awareness has the potential to completely shift one’s perception of the present moment—toward a state of active emptiness. The aim is to refresh or even reset perspectives, support a renewed perception and connection with each other. 

These transformations unfold naturally when we are fully present: listening actively, focusing on our sense of touch and smell, connecting breath with movement. It is that “a-ha” state of mind that arises when we approach our surroundings and inner experiences with heightened senses and genuine curiosity—without judgment or labeling. The Indian philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti, whose spiritual teachings have influenced countless intellectuals, spiritual seekers, and artists, reminds us that "the ability to observe without evaluating is the highest form of intelligence."

About Mihaela Kavdanska:

Inspired by Yoga, arts, and science, Mika (Mihaela Kavdanska) works as a certified Yoga teacher with over 20 years of personal practice and more than a decade of teaching experience across different Yoga styles. She is passionate about Ashtanga Yoga, Vipassana meditation and mantra chanting. Committed to sharing it all with you and co-creating a shared, mindful present. 

Since early 2000 she has also worked in the field of Media and Performing Arts as a visual artist, creative director, researcher, lecturer and cultural manager. Her numerous personal and collaborative projects have been awarded and shown in various museums, galleries, public spaces, theatres and festivals worldwide.

Her last project the atha.raum is a space for connecting contemplative practices from yoga, art & science.

Instead of an artist statement

"Over the past 20 years, my work has become less and less about creating objects and more about site-specific, time-based, visual experiences. Until 2004, I had a physical studio space. Then, my studio setup became a table, a chair, a computer, video projectors and interactive system.  The transition from fine art to media—particularly digital and live art—completely transformed both my working process and environment. Everything has become way more ephemeral.

Previously, there was a painting, completed for an exhibition and hung on a gallery wall. Full stop. Later, my work evolved into time-based experiences, often unfolding and transforming during live performances. When performance and the human factor entered, the outcome shifted with each iteration.

In this context, “studio” is an expansive notion. It begins with my perception or an idea, flows through a thinking process, and then takes shape in a site-specific environment. There, it materializes as a collaborative, often participatory, experience. This space may be outdoors, indoors, or even mental—an imaginative realm.

The place where my projects are created and produced is never merely a container; it’s organically tied to the work itself. It becomes part of the piece, inseparable from the experience it enables."

kavdanska.eu | furna.at | darv.org | kotkivisuals.com 

atha.raum | yoga.mit.mika | ashtangayogalinz.at